The #ChiWaterWeek Calendar

5 days.

Dozens of events.

Hundreds of cross-sector water leaders.

Hosted by Argonne National Laboratory

Creating new strategies for how we treat water and maintain or update our water infrastructure will require the adaptation of new technologies to help solve questions in water. One new technology, artificial intelligence (AI), offers scientists the ability to create smart systems to more nimbly manage, and even close, water cycles. AI will enhance how we use water purposefully and help address critical topics in water research: materials, selective separation, sensors and controls, manufacturing, modeling, and sustainability. This webinar will feature five presentations by Argonne researchers exploring different aspects of how AI can be applied to solve challenges in the water space.

Hosted by the Metropolitan Planning Council

Clean, safe, affordable water should be a given but it’s not—and that needs to change. Lead poisoning is a serious public health problem that is even more prevalent in Black and Brown communities. During this session, learn about state and city solutions that also create jobs in the communities.

You will hear from

• Heather Steans, Illinois Senator (D-Chicago)
• Josh Ellis, Vice President, Metropolitan Planning Council
• Lindsay McCormick, Program Manager, Chemicals and Health Program, Environmental Defense Fund 

Register here.

Hosted by FLOW

Perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) is a family of fluorinated organic compounds with widespread use in industrial processes, certain types of firefighting foams, and consumer products. They have been termed “forever chemicals” and have been found to contaminate ground water, surface water, drinking water, human serum and other environmental media across the globe. Toxicological studies have raised concerns regarding potential public health concerns of some PFAS materials.

Currently, in the United States, the regulatory standards for PFAS treatment are primarily driven by drinking water mitigation and focused on a small subset of PFAS. Full-scale treatment of PFAS-impacted liquids or solids is currently limited to sequestration technologies that remove or bind PFAS but do not totally destroy them. Transformational or destructive technologies, including bioremediation, chemical and electrochemical treatment and thermal technologies, are currently in development and testing to address this concern.

In this repartee, we have assembled a group of CEO’s that are actively involved with finding ways to destroy PFAS. They will be sharing the advances that the companies they work with are bringing to market, discussing how these technologies complement existing removal technologies and their thoughts of the challenges ahead.

Hosted by the City of Chicago Department of Water Management

The City of Chicago Department of Water Management (DWM) is responsible for providing nearly 1 billion gallons of drinking water each day to almost half the State of Illinois. Within the city limits alone, the DWM services a population of 2.7 million residents. Like many other utilities in the country, Chicago is faced with the challenges posed by aging water infrastructure, including the presence of hundreds of thousands of lead service lines connecting water mains to homes throughout the City. As part of the DWM’s commitment to ensuring good water quality and educating its residents, the DWM has offered Chicago residents free water lead testing since the 1980s. Due to an exponential increase in requests for water lead testing after the widely-publicized water issues in Flint, MI in 2016, the DWM streamlined its free testing program and adopted the system that exists today. This 311 Lead Testing Program has received over 88,000 requests since 2016 and continues to offer Chicago residents one of the most comprehensive free water lead testing services in the country.

Administering a program of this size requires extensive technical development and support. Managing the collection, storage, availability, and security of data is a critical part of the success of the program. For Chicago’s 311 Lead Testing Program, an advanced data management software was adopted, and dashboard enabled digital solutions were deployed. These solutions are able to link large data sets from different sources and compile data for analysis and reporting purposes. Interactive dashboards are utilized to visualize data and switch from “big-picture” to micro program metrics in just a few clicks. Presenting program data and performance indicators to stakeholders including engineers, utility management, and elected officials is an effective way to help make real-time, data-driven decisions.

Hosted by Surge for Water

As our global society reckons with social injustice with a backdrop of a pandemic -- we invite you to join a conversation around environmental and systemic racism and its connection to water insecurity at home and abroad.

While safe water is a basic human right, marginalized communities around the world still struggle with access. Inequities and aging infrastructure in Chicago and other parts of the US -- mirror the experiences of many developing communities around the world. A variety of organizations and stakeholders will discuss these life-threatening issues and share steps they're taking to make their communities water secure.

Panelists include representatives from Surge for Water, Climate Resilience Consulting, W.S. Darley, and NRDC.

Register here.

For any questions or problems, please contact the event coordinator via the event's registration information.

Hosted by Plan Heal

Plan Heal invites you to join an important and engaging conversation about water access and urban food production. Panelists will engage questions from audience viewers and discuss:

• Global Water Sustainability Goals/Data Share 
• How Water Access Helps Some Chicagoans Access Fresh Produce 
• Water Advocacy to Support Urban Farmers

Moderator:

• Tammy McMiller, Co-Founder & CEO, Plan Heal

Panelists:

• Magdalena Zlatkova, President, United Nations of Chicago 
• Sam Koentopp, Program Manager and Ilana Marder-Epstein, Program Coordinator, Big Green Chicago 
• Sean Ruane, Executive Director, Advocates for Urban Agriculture

Register here.

For any questions or problems, please contact the event coordinator via the event's registration information.

Hosted by the LIFT Committee of Illinois Water Environment Association

Need to take a break? Join us for this fun activity where teams will work together while raising money for a terrific organization – H2O for Life - that offers service-learning opportunities to engage, educate and inspire youth to solve the global water crisis! We promise you a variety of fun and challenging questions and quality networking time. You can register individually or as a team. A hint (Shhh!): there may a few questions related to the webinar on the Intelligent Water Systems held just before Trivia.

Register here.

For any questions or problems, please contact the event coordinator via the event's registration information.

Hosted by Third Coast Disrupted, a collaboration between Columbia College Chicago, DePaul University’s Institute for Nature and Culture, and Terracom

More frequent intense rainstorms and flooding are among the devastating and costly impacts of the Chicago region’s changing climate. Like other effects, they hit communities of color hardest. Learn of the health concerns, from a personal and public health perspective, and hear about the local public-private partnerships and government efforts that provide relief and increase resilience.

• Elena Grossman, Program Director, BRACE-Illinois, and Third Coast Disrupted scientist
• N. Masani Landfair, Third Coast Disrupted Artist
• Daniella Pereira, Vice President of Community Conservation, Openlands
• Debra Shore, Commissioner, Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago

This program is presented in conjunction with Third Coast Disrupted: Artists + Scientists on Climate, an art exhibition taking place at Columbia College Chicago's Glass Curtain Gallery. Learn more at colum.edu/thirdcoast and ThirdCoastDisrupted.org.

Register here.

For any questions or problems, please contact the event coordinator via the event's registration information.